The source "Svyatoy Klyuch" is located not far from the historical and archaeological complex, which arose on the site of the capital of the Volga Bulgaria - the city of Bilyar. Better known is the other capital of this ancient state - Bolgar, one of the most visited places in Tatarstan, which was also included in the UNESCO list in 2014.
Bilyar's potential is also enough to create an international landmark. Archaeologists are gradually discovering the remains of an ancient quotation, where, in addition to a mosque and a caravanserai, baths, a pottery quarter and the oldest alchemical workshop in Europe were discovered. This region is also the birthplace of chemists Alexander Arbuzov and Alexander Butlerov, and the nature here is wonderful - the Volga expanses with low hills, river snakes, oak and linden groves.
The "Holy Key" is a place of pilgrimage and recreation for many residents of the republic, with an established infrastructure that meets the characteristics of Islamic culture. Many people come here to perform the ritual of sacrifice, so there are special places to stab and gut the animal. Around the small pond are gazebos and fireplaces for cooking on fire. However, people of all religions come here, often just for the sake of the silence and beauty of the place.
At the invitation of the "Cities Development Fund" of the Republic of Tatarstan, the group
"8 Lines" developed a project for this place, which took part in the All-Russian competition for the improvement of small towns and historical settlements in 2018. The application won in the category "Historical Settlements", the amount of the grant was 50 million rubles. Prior to that, the group had already done improvement projects for Veliky Novgorod and Ryazan, in addition, its leaders are involved in Archstoyania and oversee the Art-Ovrag festival in Vyksa.
The goal of the project is to turn the "Holy Key" into a significant landmark by means of modern landscaping, which will highlight the natural, historical and cultural values of the place, and also make it more convenient for visiting.
The transformations are smooth. The existing infrastructure, which is more similar to the urban one - brick gazebos and asphalt paths, the architects are gradually changing to more environmentally friendly and in keeping with the spirit of the place. For the paths, wood, mulch or granite screenings were used. The new gazebos, which can accommodate from six to 40 people, were made in the same style - of wood, with a characteristic roof inspired by the buildings of ancient Bilyar. On the facades, metal milled panels were installed with ancient and modern texts written in the Bulgar language, that is, in runes.
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zooming 1/3 Gazebo in the eating area on the territory of the "Svyatoy Klyuch". Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
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zooming 2/3 Interior of the pavilion with the source "Holy Key". Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
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zooming 3/3 Alley on the territory of the "Holy Key". Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
Dzhavdet Suleimanov, the founder of the “Sult” forum, helped to realize this idea. He enthusiastically selected and translated texts. His students, by the way, conducted a sociological study, interviewing about a thousand people who came to the source. It turned out that the total flow is about one hundred thousand people a year, people of different religions come, mainly in the warm season and on major holidays, but as a rule, they do not stay long. Although there is something for.
As Anton Kochurkin notes, immersion in the pre-Islamic period and an emphasis on ancient culture turned out to be the right choice: “It is in this place where modern Muslims, Christians and Tengrians come to worship fulfilled vows and drink holy water from one source, this culture is syncretic, uniting.
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zooming 1/6 Typology of unique pavilions reflecting the architecture of Bilyar. Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
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zooming 2/6 Explosion-scheme small gazebos. Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
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zooming 3/6 Large gazebo for 40 people on the territory of the "Holy Key". Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
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zooming 4/6 Scheme of a reservoir for collecting water on the territory of the "Svyatoy Klyuch". Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
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zooming 5/6 Pavilion for the bathing ritual on the territory of the "Holy Key". Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
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zooming 6/6 Facade of the pavilion for the ablution ritual on the territory of the "Holy Key". Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
All the functions of the "Holy Key" have been preserved and supplemented. For example, instead of homemade booths, the spring now has a bathing pavilion and a convenient reservoir for collecting spring water. In the future, they plan to open a float center: "an appropriate form of spiritual practice that helps to assimilate your personal experience, to meditate." Also this year, an art object will appear, explaining the value of the place in the language of contemporary art.
Since the territory of the "Holy Key" is located in the cultural heritage protection zone, the architects used methods that did not affect the deep layers of the earth and, accordingly, the cultural layer. Anton Kochurkin says: “even during the period of active development of the landscape of the Nikola-Lenivets art park, we mastered the work of forestry methods, which we use here in the forest, on the stairs and on the top, where the remnants of guard fortifications are kept. This is the most innocuous way of working with heritage, and also environmentally friendly."
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zooming 1/5 Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
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zooming 2/5 Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
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zooming 3/5 Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
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zooming 4/5 Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
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zooming 5/5 Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
The second stage of transformations will concern the Selskoye Lake, located two kilometers from the source. Now you can't even swim in it, because there are no descents of water. The architects plan to turn it into a tourist center, from which a visit to ancient Bilyar begins: with an information center, a camping, a cafe, a parking lot, a boat station and a beach. The lake will be connected with the source by a path that will pass through the temple and the Bulgarian military fortifications.
The 8 Lines project group expresses gratitude to the Assistant to the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Natalia Fishman-Bekmambetova for assistance to the project.
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zooming 1/3 Tourist center and boat station on the territory of the Rural Lake. Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
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zooming 2/3 Master plan for the improvement of the territory of the Rural Lake. General plan Rural lake. Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
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zooming 3/3 Situational plan of the historical and cultural park in the rural settlement of Bilyarsk. Bilyar - the ancient capital of Tatarstan © 8 lines
